


The Mercenary Day Party

by Murmeloni



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: First Meetings, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:46:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29227197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Murmeloni/pseuds/Murmeloni
Summary: Jack didn't want to go to the stupid Mercenary Day Party where his stupid employees always try to suck up to him and he really didn't want to promise his daughter he wouldn't kill anyone that night. But he did. And maybe the evening isn't going to be as bad as he thinks it will be.
Relationships: Handsome Jack/Rhys (Borderlands)
Kudos: 35





	1. Chapter 1

God, Jack hates this annual Mercenary Day Party bullshit. Mostly because he has to spend time with his employees. Who, unsurprisingly, are absolute morons. Hearing most of them talk makes him question how they even managed to survive until adulthood. But the worst part is, that each and every one of those absolute idiots wants to friggin' talk to him and Jack has made the mistake of promising Angel he wouldn't kill any of his little worker bees tonight. Which really fucking sucks, because he can't just break a promise he made to his little girl. But if just one more asshole comes up to him and asks him obvious suck-up questions, like "what's the secret to your success?", or "how do you manage to look so handsome?" he is just gonna have to shoot them in their stupid face.

God, he needs another drink. Letting out a loud whistle that garners him some terrified looks from everyone around him and lifts his foul mood just a tiny bit, Jack waves one of the wait-staff over. People part for the waitress like the red sea, as she quickly makes her way to him. Jack is so focused on the sweet relief that is alcohol, that he doesn't notice one of his employees sees this as his chance to approach. While said employee drunkenly wobbles towards him, Jack quickly takes the whole tray of drinks from the shaking waitress and places it on the little table next to him. Before she can even open her mouth to ask him if he needs anything else, he is already waving her away. Wisely, she doesn't comment, but simply turns around and practically runs away.

As soon as the waitress disappears into the crowd the incredibly drunk employee dumb enough to seek Jacks attention opens his mouth "Handsome Jack, Sir! How're you?" he slurs and instead of answering Jack downs one of the drinks he just pilfered - fuck, that was pure Tequila - and hopes this douche-bag gets the hint. Which of course, he doesn't. "Good good. Yeah, 'm great, you know? Fantastic, really. Just a little annoyed, 'cause this hot piece o' ass's playing hard to get-" he interrupts himself with a loud burp before continuing, which is so freaking disgusting and is usually in and of itself enough to get Jack to shoot someone. "-but that's life amiright? I'm guessing you don't have any problem getting some tail, right?" he waggles his eyebrows at Jack and with his ill-fitting suit, unstyled oily hair and smarmy grin he makes Jack want to murder him so friggin' hard. He'll just have to buy Angel a present. Maybe a pony, or something. She'll forgive him. Probably. Though she was pretty mad when he spaced his last PA. While Jack is still contemplating whether or not killing this asshole is worth the wrath his baby girl can unleash, the guy just keeps rambling. Completely uncaring that Jack is clearly not listening and obviously in a pretty bad mood, the guy points at another man, standing across the room, currently looking out of one of the floor-to-ceiling windows. "There he is! Pretty little thing, isn't he? Can't wait to tap that. He can't say no forever, right?" All Jack can make out form this distance is that the man by the window looks young, his brown hair artfully styled on top of his head and that he seems to have a cybernetic arm. The drunken asshole next to Jack let's out a loud, obnoxious laugh that sounds just as ugly as the dude looks and thumps Jack on the shoulder in some weird wannabe companionable way and that is the last friggin' straw. Jack will just have to beg Angels forgiveness later, because he can't have his subordinates going around thinking they can just buddy up to him like this. Also, this human-shaped shitstick sounds pretty rapey and if there is one thing Jack hates even more than bandits, it's rapists. So simply shooting his face off is not gonna cut it anymore. "Why don't we go over and say hello?" Jack cuts off whatever bullshit the guy is rambling about now. Probably more rape-related fantasies. Fucking disgusting.

"Ah. Ehm. He he. Like, right now?" the guy asks, suddenly seeming insecure and Jack isn't sure how he manages to refrain from facepalming, - and by facepalming he means using his palm to smash this dude’s face in - but somehow he manages. Grabbing a firm hold of the back of the guys neck in imitation of a friendly gesture, Jack starts to steer them towards the poor soul that has been unfortunate enough to capture this douchenozzles interest. Although Jacks grip is way too tight to be friendly, his idiot employee still doesn't seem to catch on. Which is probably for the best, because it's generally more fun when the people he murders have no idea what's about to happen. "Well, eh, thank you, Sir!" he stammers, and the disgustingly sleazy smile finds its way back onto his face. "With you as a wing-man he simply can't turn me down anymore!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Jack says dismissively, gaze still on his other employee and his mind occupied with the numerous possibilities to kill the man in his grip. Said man doesn't notice all the pitying looks he receives from the people around them and keeps chatting happily. Left and right people hurry to get away from Jack, nobody wanting to incur his wrath further and wary about whats going on. As it fucking should be.

By the time they reach the brunette, the man seems to be engrossed in a conversation with a shorter man in glasses and doesn't immediately notice their arrival. Shortstuff sees Jack first and lets out a high-pitched squeak that has Jack snorting in amusement. "Handsome Jack, Sir! Er, Happy Mercenary Day!" he nearly shouts and the brunette, who definitely has a cybernetic arm and is way taller than Jack thought he would be, whirls around, eyes wide. Jack cuts him off, before he can even start to say something. "Hey, pumpkin! How's it going?" he starts cheerfully "Great party, right? I mean, it obviously is, 'cause it's my friggin' party, but anyway you know my new buddy here, right?" Jack tipping his chin at the asshole next to him and tries his best to keep his tone cheerful, because he just can't help toying with people who annoy him and the asshole still in his grip definitely deserves it. Plus, Jack has a point to make. The brunettes pretty mismatched eyes go comically wide as he looks at the man Jack indicated. After silently opening and closing his mouth a few times he simply nods his head, seemingly unable to speak. Jack snorts, now really starting to enjoy this and lifts one finger to waggle patronizingly in front of the brunette’s face. "I'm gonna need you to use your words, kiddo."

"Y-yes, Sir. I, erm, I know Mr. Henderson." the kid croaks, his cheeks turning bright pink. Which looks freaking adorable. "He is my direct supervisor." Now that Jack is properly looking at him, he's a little caught off guard by just how cute the kid is. With his soft-looking chestnut colored hair, the heterochromatic eyes, high cheekbones, and plump lips and not to mention those long shapely legs, he is exactly Jacks type. All of a sudden Jack wants to get the killing over with and spend the rest of the night getting to know this little cutie. But he still has a point to make. Well, maybe he can kill two birds with one stone. "See, kitten, Henderson here-" Jack tightens his grip even further, giving Henderson a little shake, causing the man to let out a pained sound. "has been chewing my damn ear off for the past twenty minutes with how badly he wants to get in your pants and frankly I am more than a little disgusted." The kid has gone pale a scared look on his face, gaze drifting from Jack to Henderson. "See, I was gonna come over here and make a spectacle out of killing him, but now I'm thinking - and please just tell me no, if you want to, kitten, I'm not gonna be mad - I send Henderson here to a holding cell, you and I go back to my booth" Jack points back at said booth with his thumb over his shoulder and sends the brunette his most charming smile. "We have a couple of drinks, you tell me a little bit about yourself, starting with your name, and see where the night takes us." The kid is just staring at him, shock written into his features and Jack would be lying if he said he didn't dig it, but his appreciation is cut short by Henderson. "Thank you!" the man cries "It won't happen again, Sir, I swear! Thank you so much!" he half sobs, half screams in Jacks ear and Jack nearly loses it.

Jack is doubling over in laughter, bracing his free hand on his knee, while still keeping his grip on Henderson’s neck. "hooomygod!" he wheezes, trying to compose himself. "I'm not letting you live, shit-for-brains! What the hell?" the devastated look on Henderson’s face gets him going again and it takes Jack a few minutes to fully calm down, because every time he looks at Henderson he just starts laughing again. When he can finally talk again, he looks at the kid expectantly. "So, kiddo, what do you say?" he grins, and the kid shoots him a slightly nervous smile. "I say that my name is Rhys and that I would love to have drinks with you." Rhys pauses for a moment, before he adds "But please don't call me kiddo." Jack snorts and waves a few security officers over. "That's what I like to hear, kiddo!" The little pout that gets him from Rhys goes straight to his groin and he is now really looking forward to the rest of the night. "What exactly are you going to do with Mr. Henderson?" Rhys asks, while the security officers drag the other man away, who just keeps sobbing and babbling incoherently. Jack shrugs. "Dunno. Was thinking about throwing him into the Stalker pit down in R&D. That's always fun to watch." Rhys visibly swallows, but he doesn't seem too disturbed by this prospect. Which probably has to do with having been hit on by Henderson for however long he had to work under that creep. "Well, kitten! Enough about Henderson, let's go get some drinks! I wanna watch that pretty mouth of yours talk." That gets Rhys to turn pink again and if this kid is as interesting as he's cute, Jack might just have to keep him. "Lead the way, Sir." is all he says, with a cute little smirk on his face. And yeah, that mixture of insecurity and sass? Jack is totally diggin' it. He really might just keep the kid. Here is to hoping Rhys actually has a brain.

The next few hours are spent talking, laughing, and drinking and Jack is not ashamed to admit he is a little smitten. Rhys is not only laughing at all of his jokes, but he also understands them and makes a few pretty good ones himself. Over the course of the night the two of them have gotten closer and closer and are now plastered to each other’s sides. Hands have started wandering minutes ago and Jack is finally about to get a heated make-out session started when his ECHO goes off. For a split-second he debates whether he should just ignore it, but knowing his stupid-ass employees, he disentangles himself from Rhys with a sigh and accepts the call. "What."

"Sir, I'm s-sorry to disturb you, but there is a problem with the security system we think needs your attention." Jack waits a few seconds for the guy to elaborate, but nothing happens. "Well? Are you waiting for a written invitation, or what? What the hell is the problem?" While the guy let's out a terrified squeak and a sting of apologies, Rhys catches Jacks eye "I should leave you to it." He whispers and tries to stand up. While Jack appreciates the gesture, he is not ready to let the kid just up and leave and if he's being honest, he really needs the kid by his side. Especially if he's supposed to keep his promise to stay murder-free for tonight. So, Jack grabs Rhys' wrist and pulls him back down onto the plush seat. "Just friggin' spit it out!" he yells into the Com, because the fucking imbecile of an employee is still not done apologizing and it's really getting on Jacks last nerve. Rhys twitches next to him at the outburst and without thinking Jack puts his arm around Rhys' shoulders and pulls him against his side. "The s-system has been hacked, Sir, and we can't- eh, we can't pinpoint where the attacks are coming f-from. The turrets near the holding cells are firing are everything that moves. We think it's an advanced AI." Jack curses under his breath. "I'll take care of it! I really don't know why I even pay you people!" he disconnects the call and turns to Rhys. "Alright, pumpkin as much as I hate to cut this short, Daddy needs to head to his office and take care of this." But Rhys is not looking at Jack. He is looking at a palm display on his cybernetic arm. At Jacks words he turns the display so that Jack can see it too. "It's not a hacker." he says. "It's someone with an access code. I work in Securities Propaganda, I designed part of the system. This is coming from within." Jack is only now noticing, that aside from his cybernetic arm, Rhys also has a neural port and ECHO eye implant, but he brushes that information aside for later and instead focuses on the palm display. "Then why the hell do my other employees think it's a hacker?" But while Jack is watching, he can see the answer for himself. Seemingly random files are being downloaded while security measures are being triggered and breached at lightning speed. "If the system is breached, I get an alarm send directly to my ECHO eye. But since we frequently run tests and simulations to find weaknesses and holes in the system and I don't want to be woken in the middle of the night every time someone runs a system-check, I saved all the departments access codes and set them as exceptions." Jack grinds his teeth together. "Can you find out which access code is being used?"

"Already on it." Rhys ECHO eye starts to glow a bright blue as he starts up another program on his palm display. He runs that thing faster than Jacks eyes can keep up and in any other situation Jack would find that pretty freaking hot. "They're actually using one of my cyber-attack-simulations for this." Rhys says suddenly, but it's to himself. He frowns. "But the files are actually being downloaded, I think someone's using this simulation as a cover-up." Needing to get rid of some of his pent-up energy and rage, Jack jumps to his feet and starts pacing in front of Rhys. "Just find out who I need to kill, kiddo." Jack growls and he can see Rhys nod out of the corner of his eye. Fortunately, it doesn't take long, before Rhys shouts excitedly. "I got it! It's Henderson’s code. He's accessing the system from his office."

"I knew I should've just shot him in his stupid friggin' face!" Jack yells and kicks over the table next to him. Empty glasses fly everywhere and the party around them comes to a screeching halt. Jack takes a deep breath and turns to Rhys, who only looks a little frazzled. "Okay, kitten, access the door and lock it. I'm gonna go and pay Henderson a little visit. Find out why he wanted those files. I want a report on this tomorrow." He doesn't wait for Rhys' answer and instead heads for the door. In his mind he is already in Securities Propaganda, hands wrapped around Henderson’s throat, squeezing the life out of that slimy bastard.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning finds Rhys in the elevator on his way to Jacks office. After the arguably best night of his life, where he got to talk and joke and just be with his hero - and yes, Rhys was a little disappointed by the abrupt ending, but still - It's more than he ever thought he'd get. Anyway, he's still a little high on it. Of course, he's more than a bit nervous right now, after spending the rest of last night and the early morning tracing every single file Henderson took and going through the security camera footage to find out what his (ex-)boss wanted and who helped him in his escape attempt. As it turns out, the guard that called Jack was the one who let Henderson out of his cell. The poor idiot just wanted to make a quick buck and let Henderson talk him into helping, but when he realized Jack personally wanted Henderson contained, he got scared and manually triggered the security system. The problem was that as Senior Vice President of Securities Propaganda, Henderson knew how to circumvent the security measures. Which is why he started one of Rhys' simulations. As for the files Henderson took: apparently, he's been embezzling money from Hyperion for the past few years. Rhys theory on that is, that Henderson thought the chances of Jack hunting him down after he fled the station would be significantly higher once the CEO found out about the stolen money. Which, fair enough. Luckily, Rhys managed to recover most of the files. Unluckily, he isn't sure exactly where Henderson kept the money. But he has enough information for a few educated guesses (thanks Vaughn!). He just hopes that is enough to please Jack.

Rhys was still compiling all of that information into a report on his way through the Hub of Heroism fifteen minutes prior. He crashed into more than a few walls (and people) on his way to Jacks office, but he really doesn't want to show up with a half-finished report. And that really doesn't have anything to do with his hopes for a repeat of last night. The date-like part of last night, not the part where Jack stormed off to deliver a bloody punishment.

Which he shouldn't find sexy, but kinda does.

At five minutes to eight, Rhys reaches Megs desk. Handsome Jacks infamous secretary, that has managed to hold her position since the day Jack took over from Tassiter. The only employee working close to Jack who managed to pull that off. Rhys comes to a halt in front of her sleek glass desk and takes a moment to admire the speed with which Meg types away on her keyboard despite her sharp-tipped nails, that bear a striking resemblance to claws.

"Rhys Strongfork?" she asks without looking up and before Rhys can even open his mouth, startling him.

"Yes. How did you-"

"Please tell me you have your report on last night ready." Meg cuts Rhys off, finally looking up. Rhys mutely nods his head, too afraid to speak and Meg surprises him with a small smile. "Good. Send it to me. I'll contact you if we need anything else." Meg holds out a small ECHO device and every hope Rhys had about continuing his conversation with Jack and spending more time with him, dies a horrible death. "Eh, yeah. Sure." he says and really hopes she can't hear the disappointment in his voice. Nevertheless, he activates his ECHO eye and transfers the data.

Rhys waits a few seconds longer after Meg pockets the ECHO device and returns to whatever she was working on before. But she doesn't look up again and Jack doesn't magically appear. So, this was it. He's not even going to see Jack again. Last night was the first time he saw the CEO in person since he started working for Hyperion two years prior. He is not sure when he'll get a chance like that again. Hanging his head, Rhys retreats back to the elevator, the heels of his skag-skin boots clicking loudly on the black marble floor. "It was nice meeting you, Meg!" he calls, but he doesn't get a reply and to be honest he didn't really expect one. Meg is Handsome Jacks secretary. She has more important things to worry about.

Rhys feels a little foolish for all the fantasies he allowed himself to indulge in over the past nine hours. Has it really only been nine hours since he last saw Jack? It feels longer than that. Either way, Rhys really shouldn't have let himself get carried away. Why should a powerful man like Jack want anything more from a lowly code-monkey like himself? The reason he approached Rhys in the first place was probably a combination of boredom, alcohol and the need to humiliate Henderson.

Dejectedly Rhys makes his way to the Securities Propaganda office and his cubicle there. Normally he would indulge in one of the fancy spiced lattes down in the hub, but because of his pit-stop at Jacks office, he is already late. Briefly he wonders if Henderson’s position has already been reassigned and if whoever managed to get it is going to chew him out, but the sight of his empty department stops him in his tracks. It's only now that Rhys remembers that work generally doesn't start until eleven the day after the Mercenary Day Party.

So, he is nearly three hours early instead of late. Which is just what he needs today. The strong impulse to bang his head against the nearest wall grips Rhys, but somehow, he manages to resist. He debates going home, but that would mean being alone with his disappointment. Well, not that he isn't alone here, because he is, but at least here he can distract himself with work. Trudging over to his cubicle, Rhys let's his messenger bag drop to the floor before he pulls out his chair and practically throws himself in. While he starts up his computer, he can feel his eyes start to droop and let's his head fall into his hands. Letting out a frustrated groan - he's well aware of how melodramatic he's being, but there is no one here to witness his theatrics, so who cares - he pushes away from his desk and rolls his chair over to the little kitchenette in the far end of the office. He tries to brew the coffee while still sitting down, but only manages to drop the pot into the sink, so he reluctantly gets up.

A loud bang from behind him causes him drop the pot a second time and he whirls around, but there is nothing there. Since the office plan is pretty open, he would immediately notice if someone arrived, but he is alone. Maybe the sound came from elevator or something. Shrugging, Rhys turns back to the coffee maker, but he is much more awake now. His heart is still beating a little faster than normal and he's keeping his ears peeled for the tiniest noise.

Ten noise-free minutes later, Rhys carefully places his coffee cup on his chair and pushes it back to his desk. He checks his mails - unsurprisingly, there aren't any - and pulls up the security simulations and protocols. After last night’s incident he needs to update the system. For some of the updates he wants to make, he has to wait on the okay from Jack, but there is plenty of other stuff to work on. So that's exactly what Rhys does for the next few hours. It doesn't take long for him to completely immerse himself in his work. He is only startled out of his focus three hours later when his coworkers start to arrive. Many of them send him odd looks and he catches his name in more than a few whispered conversations, but he ignores all of that. Someone probably just saw him with Jack last night and got the rumor-mill running. Usually, he would be trying to listen to everything the grapevine's got to offer, because Vaughn lives for all of that drama, but today he simply isn't in the mood. He's sure his best bro will understand.

"Good morning!" Vasquez' head pops up around the cubicle wall, mouth pulled into the smarmy grimace he calls a smile. "So, Rhys, I heard you tried to sleep your way to the top last night and it, unsurprisingly, didn't work."

Just as Rhys is about to tell Vasquez to get lost, Henderson’s office door bursts open with a loud bang, scaring the shit out of everyone and causing Rhys to throw his coffee cup into the air. The whole department turns almost as one to watch in horror, as the blood-soaked CEO strolls out the door like he's just getting himself a cup of coffee. He looks incredibly pleased with himself and has a relaxed smile on his face and even with all the blood, he looks super attractive. Which makes Rhys question his own sanity, but he is okay with that. As long as he gets to look at Jack while he does it. Freud would probably have a field-day with him. When Rhys' coffee cup hits the ground with a clatter that seems to echo in the silence of the room, everyone flinches almost in sync and turns to stare reproachfully at him. Including Jack, whose face lights up again, when he recognizes Rhys. "Pumpkin!" he calls and makes a beeline for Rhys' cubicle. Rhys is still staring at Henderson's office, because he just spied the perfectly positioned corpse in the doorway. It's pretty obvious to everyone what transpired in the Senior VPs office (again, because of the bloody corpse) but why the hell is Jack still here? It's been twelve hours since he left to get Henderson. What the hell did he do with the man that took twelve hours? Rhys immediately decides he doesn't want to know the answer to that.

"Wow! You look like shit, kitten." Jack grins and stops directly in front of Rhys, looking him up and down. "Anyway, you might wanna call a clean-up-crew to your new office." he hikes a thumb over his shoulder to point at (formerly) Henderson’s office - which apparently is now Rhys'. And Rhys really doesn't know how to process that information. His brain is one giant DOES NOT COMPUTE message. "After midnight, I got a bit carried away." Jacks continues, tone gleeful, and he shrugs as though that was just something that happens to everyone after the clock strikes twelve. And that should really be Rhys cue to run as fast as he can but getting away from Jack is the last thing he wants to do. Which probably makes him the stupidest person in the galaxy. Well, maybe after Henderson and his little helper. Hopefully.

Rhys tries to answer, only to find he can't. He is at a complete loss for words. Not only is he looking at Jack and (more or less) talking to him after he just convinced himself that wouldn't happen again, but he has also just gotten a promotion to Senior Vice President of Securities Propaganda. He has his own office now! Sure, it's got more than a few bloodstains (and other bodily fluids) on the carpet, but that is nothing that a little bleach can't fix.

Rhys just stares at Jack and keeps opening and closing his mouth like a fish and after a few seconds of his goldfish imitation Jacks mien darkens. "Yeah, you know, _normally_ people thank their boss when they get a promotion, kiddo." he growls and that gets Rhys to finally find his voice. "Sorry! I just didn't expect to see you. I mean, in the flesh! I mean, I dropped off the report you wanted, and you weren't there and then I came here to distract myself with work and then suddenly you-" Jacks laughter thankfully cuts Rhys panicked rambling short, because who knows what else his brain would have decided to throw out there. "I'm messing with you, princess." Jack grins down at Rhys and maybe Rhys is imagining it, but he thinks Jacks beautifully mismatched eyes are softening. Just a tiny bit. He smiles back tentatively.

"Come on, Rhysie. I'm starving. We can talk about your report over lunch." Jack doesn't wait for Rhys' answer before he turns and strides over to the elevator. And Rhys decides not to ask how Jack was able to read his report when he was holed up in Henderson’s office doing who knows what to the man. He doesn't really want to know. Instead, he just locks his computer and scrambles after Jack who, by now, is already pressing the call-button of the elevator and tapping his foot impatiently. No Rhys is not going to question this. 

Today has totally just become the Best. Day. Ever.

Now, he only has to survive lunch.


	3. Chapter 3

It has been five days. Almost an entire week. One hundred and twenty hours since Jack took Rhys to lunch. Not since Jack last saw Rhys, because he is staring at the kid right now, as he is having drinks in the Hub of Heroism with those two friends of his. But keeping tabs on him through the network of security cameras isn't the same as seeing him in person. The camera doesn't do Rhys justice. It can't capture the exact shade of his hair, or the way the kid blushes when Jack compliments him and Jack can't even make out the color of his eyes. He knows one is a beautiful piercing blue and the other a lovely whiskey-brown, but he still likes looking at them.

And that is exactly why he has avoided Rhys for the past five days.

"Dad? Are you in there?" His daughters voice pulls Jack out of his thoughts and he quickly minimizes the window on his screen showing the Hub of Heroism's camera feed.

Just in time too because Angel walks into his office only a few seconds later.

"Everything alright? You need anything, baby girl?" He asks, hoping to distract her, but Angel's eyes narrow and Jack realizes his mistake too late: his daughter isn't allowed to walk into his office without his express permission. He should've gotten mad. _Son of a taint._ "Are you stalking Rhys again?" she asks and sends him a disapproving look. Instead of answering Jack lets his head fall back against the headrest of his chair. "What do you want, Angel?" He tries again, but he already knows what’s coming. They've been having the same argument for the past week. "I want you to stop being a coward and ask Rhys out. You clearly like him and I want to meet him too!" she days angrily and then, a little quieter she adds "He seems nice, dad."

Jack sighs. "We don't know if he's really nice. Maybe the whole intelligent-funny-sweet-but-sassy-shtick is an act. That would be super annoying, and I'd have to shoot him in his pretty face and then I'd have to tell you _I told you so_." It's happened before. More often than Jack likes to think about, and he really doesn't want to find out if Rhys is going to be just like the others. He is so tired of being betrayed. That shit just doesn't get easier to handle.

"I've been keeping tabs on him, too, dad. He doesn't have anything to hide. Except maybe the creepy amount of posters he has of you in his apartment." Angel’s tone is teasing, but Jack can hear the plea in her voice, see it in her expressive violet eyes. He knows she's lonely. He is too. But he can't risk letting Rhys into their lives only for him to stab them in the back. Yes, Rhys seems to be loyal. As far as Jack can tell from watching him with his friends. He seems to be funny and kind but also mean if he needs to. But what if? What if somewhere down the line Jack finds out about an ulterior motive? Or if he introduces Rhys to Angel and he tries to hurt her like her mother did? Jack doesn't think he could handle that. Not when it's Rhys. He doesn't know _why_ that makes a difference, only that it does. "I'm sorry, baby girl." he says, trying to sound gentle but firm and probably missing by a mile. Like usual.

Angel’s expression is instantly furious. Her tattoos start to glow and the light overhead flickers before she manages to contain her anger. She opens her mouth, but ultimately leaves without another word. A few seconds later Jack can hear her bedroom door slam shut. He closes his eyes and slams his head back into the headrest a few times before he abruptly gets up. He needs a distraction. Maybe he can check in on the Eridium mine down on Pandora. They probably don't have anything new for him, 'cause he called them this morning, but that just means he can get some yelling done. Just as he's reaching for his ECHO device on the desk to make the call, he receives a message from Meg.

_There is trouble down in the hub. Security has requested your presence._

Just what the doctor ordered. Jack grins. Whatever asshole is causing trouble down in the Hub won't know what hit him. It's only when he is already out the door, that he remembers Rhys. Who is in the Hub right now. _Shit._

Jack instantly hurries his steps. "Felicity?" he addresses the military AI as he is getting into the elevator. Felicity is the one protecting his baby girl when Jack is in the office or down on pandora and can’t do it himself. "Yes, Jack." comes the immediate reply. "Gimme the details on the situation in the Hub. And make it quick." Silence. Jack curls his hands into fists. "Son of a- Right _now_ , Felicity! Before I decide I don't need you anymore and stuff you into a freaking soda machine!"

"Sorry, Jack.” she says and after another brief pause “It seems that Hyperion Employee Hugo Vasquez is assaulting Senior Vice President of Securities Propaganda Rhys Strongfork. He is wielding an experimental shotgun."

Jack feels his insides freeze. Suddenly it doesn't matter that Rhys might betray him. All the what ifs fly right out the window, replaced by the prospect of never seeing Rhys again, of Rhys getting _hurt_. And that is so much worse.

"Keep me posted and give me whatever details you have on the weapon." Before Felicity can answer, Jack is struck by an idea. An idea that, if it works, would allow him to keep Rhys safe and protected. And not just for today. "I need access to Rhys' ECHO eye."

________________________________________

"Hellooo? Earth to Rhys?" Startled out of his staring contest with one of the many Handsome Jack statues in the Hub, Rhys focuses his eyes on Yvette and Vaughn. Both of which are watching him with a mixture of annoyance and concern. Rhys clears his throat and looks from one friend to the other. "Sorry." he says sheepishly. "Ehm. But could you repeat that? Maybe?" Yvette rolls her eyes, while Vaughn lets his head thump onto the table. "Unbelievable." he exclaims, voice muffled by the tabletop.

"It's been a week, Rhys. He's not going to call." Yvette adds and Rhys knows she's right, but that doesn't help. He's had a taste of what it’s like to have Handsome Jacks attention and now he is addicted. Except, it's not that easy. Rhys was so sure Jack had felt it too. That... connection. The spark of interest and desire. The worst part is that he doesn't even know what he did wrong. After Rhys gave his report, Jack complemented him on a job well done and he continued to complement him. On his looks, his voice, his humor. Of course, Rhys returned the favor. There was some heavy flirting during that lunch! And they laughed! They laughed so much in those two hours and Rhys remembers thinking how he would love to listen to Jack laugh for the rest of his life.

Rhys sighs, resolving for the hundredth time to just get over it and move on. "You're right. I'm sorry, guys. It's just hard. After the party and then the lunch I just thought-" Rhys can't finish the sentence. After a brief silence, where all three of them stare at the tabletop, Vaughn still plastered to it with his forehead, Yvette shoots him a mischievous smile. "Just buy the next round and you're forgiven." Rhys mock-frowns. In reality he is just extremely happy to have friends like Yvette and Vaughn. "I thought you guys were inviting me out to celebrate."

Vaughn snorts and finally lifts his head from the table. "That was before you spaced out on us, bro. We can only celebrate Vasquez' demotion if you're mentally present enough to retell the story of how it happened." That instantly puts a smile to Rhys lips. "It was glorious, guys. He messed up big-time." Yvette waves him off. "We need the drinks first, Rhys. Go!"

"Alright, alright, I'm going!" he laughs and gets up. Rhys has only taken a few steps when someone knocks into him, making him fall and hit his head on one of the many tables lining the Up Over Bar. "Ow! Fuck!" Rhys curses, feeling his eyes water in pain. "Don't fucking move!" an annoyingly familiar voice shouts above him. Rhys doesn't listen and lifts his head to confirm what his ears are telling him only to be smacked across the face with an overtly large shotgun. There is a ringing in his ears and for a moment Rhys doesn't quite know which way is up. 

_BANG!_

The sound of the shotgun being fired and people screaming pulls Rhys back to reality. _What the actual fuck?!_ Moments later the face of Hugo Vasquez appears in his field of vision, contorted with anger. "Now you finally get what you deserve, Rhys. I was willing to let you live after you stole my promotion, but this?" The laugh Vasquez lets out sounds positively unhinged. Rhys flinches and opens his mouth to reply - though he isn't exactly sure what he is even supposed to say - but he doesn't get that far. Because the still hot shotgun-barrel is pressed to his cheek. Rhys whimpers in pain and tries to wiggle away, but Vasquez grabs his hair and keeps him in place. Rhys fights the urge to close his eyes. He needs to find a way to escape.

"You need to let me in, Kitten!"

Rhys flinches and frantically looks around as best as he can with the shotgun still pressed to his face, but he can barely move. "Jack?" Rhys breathes. He can’t see the CEO anywhere even though the voice sounded so close. As if Jack was right next to him. Great. Now Rhys can cross auditory hallucination off of his insanity checklist. Above him, Vasquez scoffs derisively "Yeah, as if, Rhys. Come on. We both know Handsome Jack isn't going to help you."

"NOW, princess! Let me into your sub-systems!" Jack’s voice is yelling at him and Rhys wants desperately to find the other man, but before he can do so much as blink, Vasquez pulls the trigger.

Only- Nothing happens.

Rhys opens his eyes - he didn't realize he closed them - and looks up. Vasquez is fiddling with the apparently malfunctioning shotgun, cursing up a storm.

"FOR FUCKS SAKE, RHYS! LET ME IN RIGHT FUCKING NOW!"

Rhys flinches violently at the ear-splitting volume of Jacks voice. He finally obeys and activates his ECHO eye and it's only now that he notices the foreign presence in his mind. Rhys doesn't know if it's really Jack, but what does he have to lose? As soon as Vasquez figures out that he accidentally put the safety back on, he is dead anyway. So he pulls up his system controls.

_Grant Access?_

**_Y_ ** _/N?_

_Access Granted._

Immediately and without any kind of warning Rhys' cybernetic arm shoots up and punches Vasquez right in the dick. As it turns out Vasquez is as unprepared for such a maneuver as Rhys is and he doubles over, howling and cursing. But Rhys' cybernetic limb isn't done. It surges forward, grabs the gun and pulls it out of Vasquez' hands. To Rhys' absolute horror, his arm then starts beating Vasquez over the head with the gun to the sound of Jacks laughter that is echoing inside of Rhys' head.

That is so not what Rhys meant when he said he wanted to listen to Jack’s laughter for the rest of his life.

The laughter is growing louder and louder until Rhys realizes it isn't just in his head anymore. His arm abruptly stops mid strike and then Jack is there, a murderous glint in his mismatched eyes and a manic grin on his gorgeous face.

"Hey, pumpkin. Nice work." he says, gaze darting to Rhys before returning to Vasquez. "How's your head?" Now that Jack drew attention to it, Rhys can feel the throbbing pain where he hit his head and where Vasquez slapped him. Still, he can't resist the opening Jack gave him.

"Haven't had any complaints."

Jack levels him with an incredulous expression before he bursts out laughing. "God, kitten, you're an absolute idiot." he says and for only a moment the look on his face is so fond, that Rhys wants to cry with happiness. "Hey Shortstuff, Dreadlocks! Go get Rhysie to medical and stay with him until I get there."

Rhys suspicion about who Shortstuff and Dreadlocks are supposed to be, is confirmed when Vaughn and Yvette appear at his side. Vaughn grabs Rhys’ right, Yvette his left arm and together they pull him to his feet. "Let's go, bro." Vaughn says with a shaky voice. But Rhys is not ready to go yet. "Jack?" he asks, and he hates how weak he sounds, but he doesn't want the CEO to disappear on him again.

Jack’s eyes find Rhys' and hold them. "I won't be long, princess. Promise. Now go get your noggin checked." his voice is way to tender for his words, and Rhys heart actually skips a beat. As Vaughn, Yvette and Rhys leave the Up Over Bar, they start to hear Vasquez screaming, but they don’t turn around. Neither of them wants to know what’s happening and they don’t speak the whole way they hobble towards the medical wing of Helios.

Only after the doctors checked Rhys over and told him he had a concussion and would have to stay overnight does Yvette speak up. "Guess we were wrong about Jack, huh?" she says quietly and Rhys smiles. "Seems that way, yeah."

Silence descends again and Rhys is starting to doze off. "I really wanted to know what happened with Vasquez' demotion, bro." Vaughn says and he and Yvette send Rhys pleading looks. "I mean, the champaign is off the menu for now, but you could still tell us what happened?" Yvette adds and Rhys understands what his friends want to know: why the hell would Vasquez pull something like that? Why would he try to publicly murder Rhys? Unfortunately, Rhys doesn't have an answer to that, so he just tells Vaughn how Vasquez failed to close a deal down on pandora three times in a row and got demoted.

"The first time he said that a couple of hundred bandits attacked the town where the exchange was supposed to happen. You should have heard the story he told me. Right out of one of those old westerns." Rhys starts and Vaughn laughs. "I'm guessing he saved the day?"

"Of course, he did. Very heroically. Except for the part where he didn't close the deal." Rhys grins at his best friends and continues with the story and how this August-guy played Vasquez like a fiddle.

Rhys doesn't notice he's falling asleep until he's abruptly woken by someone touching his forehead. He blinks his eyes open and- Wait. He isn't in the hospital room anymore. His heart immediately starts to pound, and he tries to sit up. And then Jack is there. "Easy, Kitten." he says and gently presses Rhys back down. "Where am I?" Rhys asks and Jack suddenly looks a little nervous, which is super weird, but not as weird as the answer he gives Rhys. "My bedroom." Rhys can feel his mouth drop open. "Oh, don't give me that look!" Jack exclaims, before jumping up and starting to pace. "As if I could leave you alone after what happened today. I mean, you didn't even manage to stay out of trouble for a whole week and if I hadn't gotten access to your sub-systems you'd be-" Jack cuts himself off abruptly and returns to Rhys’ side. For a moment he just stares at Rhys’ face.

"Get some sleep, princess, I'll give you the tour of your new home tomorrow." Before Rhys can respond to that, Jacks lips meet his in a gentle kiss. Warmth spreads throughout Rhys' entire body at the contact and he quickly locks his arms behind Jacks head to keep him from pulling back. Licking his way into Jacks mouth he is almost overwhelmed by the wave of desire that hits him. Jack’s taste, the feel of his skin, the softness of the short strands of hair at the back of his neck... All of that makes Rhys dizzy with want. Unfortunately, it isn't long before Jack removes Rhys arms form around his neck and breaks the kiss. "Okay, yeah. We are gonna pick that back up as soon as the doctors clear you, baby, but for now you need to sleep." Rhys sighs, but he relents. Jack is right. "Alright." he says, and Jack presses a quick kiss to his forehead. "I'm just outside. If you need anything, Felicity can help you." And before Rhys can ask who the hell Felicity is, Jack is gone.

And then Jacks earlier words finally register. "Wait! What do you mean 'Tour of my new home'?! What happened to my apartment?" he calls after Jack, but he doesn't get an answer. At least not from the CEO. Instead, a female voice rings out from above. "He means that he had your friend Vaughn bring all your belongings to his penthouse. Congratulations on your new living situation." Rhys has no idea how he is supposed to process this information, so he tables that for a later date and concentrates on smaller tasks. He has a concussion after all. "Are you Felicity?"

There is an audible sigh from the direction of the ceiling. "I will never understand you humans." the female voice says. "And yes, I am Felicity. I am the military AI that protects Jack's... penthouse." Rhys notices the pause she makes at the end, but he is suddenly too tired to question her further. He tables that for a later date too. Burrowing himself deeper into the soft cushions beneath him, Rhys looks at the ceiling. “Goodnight, Felicity.” he says and before she can answer he is already fast asleep.


End file.
